I have been trying to get a colony of Lucilia sericata to oviposit in order to collect as much eggs as possible to rear them but I am having trouble in getting the females to oviposit after I provided them with fresh chicken liver. We have also tryed to get Chrysomya albiceps and Calliphora vicina females to oviposit but we're having the same problem. What could have gone wrong?
if possible try given link
http://users.usachoice.net/~swb/forensics/rea.htm
Here at our lab in IIHR are providing boiled soya chunks as a oviposition substrate to Chrysomya. Please give it a try.
I have not had any problems using beef liver. Both L. sericata and C. vicina oviposit readily. Are you sure that they have been mated? I usually give them water and sugar as well.
We used to rear L. sericata and C. vicina routinely using canned cat or dog food. However, using fresh liver chopped up into fine pieces should do the same thing. The female flies like cracks and narrow spaces to oviposit into so perhaps that is your problem. It is perhaps possible that your chicken liver is just a little too fresh?
As with Anders method we also gave them water and sugar cubes.
Chrysomya albiceps is possibly more difficult because it often prefers some prior decomposition activity or prior infestation by another species - it is a predatory species after all.
Hi!
In our lab, we use mixed beef liver for Lucilia sericata's rearing and eggs laying. For Calliphora vicina, we use porc liver or heart for eggs laying and beef liver for rearing.
Insects are reared in cages with sugar and water ad libitum. In our conditions, females need more or less 5 days to be able to lay eggs.
It has been a while but we used beef liver for egg deposition for L. sericata. Adults were fed with sugar/water solution at 20-24 C and 60% RH. I would not cut the liver in small pieces as they dry out very quickly. Big pieces stay fresh and eggs do not desiccate. Dogfood can be used to rear larvae.
IF THIS DOES HAVE YOU ..
Place your females or fly Lucilia sericata in a cage with chicken liver food ??
In trays or boxes, with its temperature and humidity environment you require the livers .. check if there it lay eggs after 6 or 8 hours? And with brush dipped collections posture,
or place the liver in a web of fine maya, soft wash under running water,
withdraw food residue or the same liver and eggs will be only ,
these must incubate in new food for larvae and adult flies.
Get red muscle beef in a cage and intrudce the blow fly ensure the beef it not too dry and not waterlog. After about 2 days you should be able to get the eggs.
Liver pieces, sugar and water( use sponge or dip blotting paper in flask with one end free so that flies can suck through it) are the three essential ingredients. Check the temp of your rearing chamber. Plus you need both sexual forms in the cage to make it happen. Hope this helps.
One more thing. To avoid drying of the liver pieces, place moist cotton and blotting paper under the liver piece it will keep it fresh for couple of days.
Hi Meriem
This article would be useful:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303814756_Vital_Statistics_of_Chrysomya_megacephala_Fabricius_1794_Diptera_Calliphoridae_under_Different_diets_from_Venezuela
Article Vital Statistics of Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) ...
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